Russia, China to hold joint naval drills in Yellow Sea

Russia and China will hold joint naval exercises dubbed Joint Sea 2018 in the Yellow Sea off the port city of Qingdao in east China’s Shandong Province, spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry Senior Colonel Wu Qiang said on Thursday.

“Under the parties’ agreement, the armed forces of both countries plan to hold the Joint Sea 2018 drills in the coastal area of the city of Qingdao this year,” the spokesman said.

The parties are currently holding the second round of consultations to specify the timeframe of the drills, the areas of the maneuvers, and also the forces and resources that will take part in the naval exercises.

“As for the plan of the drills, we will publish the corresponding information in due time,” the Chinese Defense Ministry’s spokesman said.

Joint Sea 2017 drills

The first stage of the Joint Sea 2017 drills was held in July last year in the Baltic Sea. The drills practiced joint measures to organize anti-submarine warfare, air and anti-ship defense. After the drills were over, the Chinese squadron’s warships called at St. Petersburg to take part in the festivities to celebrate Russia’s Navy Day.

The second stage of the naval maneuvers took place in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk in September last year. During the drills, the Russian and Chinese sailors sharpened the skills of interaction in accomplishing missions to provide for safe shipping, organize anti-submarine warfare defense, and also rescue the crew of a notionally distressed submarine lying on a seabed at a depth of about 50 meters. As part of the 2nd stage, the marines of both countries underwent training while naval taskforces practiced coordination with naval and deck-based aviation.